Parallax
by DarkGirlRavenGrayson
Summary: The future has been tainted - the Justice League decimated. An elderly Bruce Wayne and his latest protege are all that stand in the way of an impending apocalypse locking into reality. But even as the hour seems to be at it's darkest, hope arrives in the form of Raven Roth, a rage filled Kon-El, and Batman's prodigal son; NightWing. Collab w/TheNightWingX.


**A/N** (_DarkGirlRavenGrayson_): Please do not be upset with me for not coming out with a chapter to one of my current stories! I honestly was considering dropping them and never looking back because of how busy i've become. Can you believe i'm going to be a college student finally? I started this account sooo many years ago that this is scary. I hope you like this new story i'll be posting - i promise it will be much more frequent in updates because i am co-writing this with my boyfriend who will be on top of it. This is a bit different and probably will end up being more dark/intense than i've previously tried for since his and my own writing styles are clashing and intermingling, so bear with me. Hope i can get my reviewers back!

Oh, and a small side note – if you aren't familiar with the other Batman's, Terry is one of them. This is going to be primarily set in the future – pay attention to my dates given. And this is only a 'crossover' because NightWing's name isn't listed under Teen Titan characters... plus it's also a lot of Bat Family stuff going on.

**A/N** (_TheNightWingX_): I love my girlfriend, we're working on this story together, hope you enjoy. That is all. [The real, main reason I wanted to write this story is so she'd get back into writing]

Disclaimer: We do not own Batman, Terry, Raven, NightWing, or any other affiliated DC characters.

* * *

**PARALLAX**

_Chapter 1: In the Beginning_

_**Neo-Gotham- 2052**_

The cold, dark clouds of Neo-Gotham threatened rain, as a lonely dark figure stood upon a building high above his beloved city. His cowl that once felt safe, warm, and reassuring felt nothing of the sort as pain surged inside him like a river, the skies pouring down upon his head relentlessly. His skin-tight suit, made from a material ounce for ounce tougher than titanium, infused with the most sensitive and powerful technology known the world could possibly offer, and coated with a form of Kevlar harder than diamonds could shield him from bullets and all forms of explosive blasts – could protect him from a blow from Superman, and once had even defended him from the immeasurable heat of the earth's core.

But it did nothing for him now, and the raw sorrow cut his very soul as he gazed down at the blood red insignia of a bat on his chest, his piercing blue eyes reflecting the immense pain he felt in his heart.

Quietly the Dark Knight spread his arms apart and kicked off lightly from the ledge of the high-rise building, his glider-like wings ejecting from his shoulders and aligning themselves to his arms; the thrusters at the soles of his feet activating and propelling him into the dark, night sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the confines of the Bat-cave, an elderly Bruce Wayne gazed into the pods that held the uniforms of his former partners. Gently he reached out a gnarled hand, touching the glass that encased the former Robin's costume. "Tim," the mutter of Bruce's cold, steely voice resonated in the Bat-cave. His sharp, intelligent eyes sparkled in the reflection in the glass casing. As Bruce moved to Batgirl's, he sighed out heavily, touching the glass casing only momentarily before moving on to focus his attention on the suit of Night Wing.

"Dick, the _prodigal_ _son_ in our little family," whispered Bruce in a rare tone of gentleness. "You always were the one person who I could count on.." continued Bruce as he gazed at the black domino mask, looking into the red lenses of Night Wing's mask, before lingering his eyes down at the red symbol on the chest of the black suit.

"Perhaps its time the prodigal came home..." was all Bruce muttered; a strange energy filling his tired blue eyes.

* * *

'_Terry, get back to the cave as soon as possible, I have a task for you,' _called the stoic voice of Terry McGuiness' mentor through his com-link. Terry, being mid-flight, was far more concentrated on evading buildings than listening to Bruce. He banked a hard left as to avoid colliding into a sky scraper's flag pole, the storm not helping visibility, the rain blanketing him and obscuring the long range vision sensors on his suit.

"Sorry old man, a little busy right now," replied Terry, trying hard to hide the fact that he was emotionally shaken by the death of his best friend _Kon-El, _better known by his alter-ego, Superman.

_ 'Terry...'_

Storm or not, Batman needed this time alone to clear his head. He strained his arms backwards, pulling upwards, and headed straight towards the clouds above. Flying was his escape, it helped with the pain, and it was what soothed his raging heart.

Bruce saw through the façade easily and muttered darkly, _'Superman made the ultimate sacrifice, if you wish to honor him, you'll want to hear what I have to say... I expect you at the cave, within the hour.'_

* * *

_**Gotham City- 2012**_

Rachel Roth awoke to a beautiful spring morning in Gotham City's Wayne Manor. Her purple hair was let down in a beautifully messy way and her hand was stroking her fiancés cheek as he snuggly curled into her hip. "Richard... darling... wake up..." came her tender whisper, urging her love to leave his slumber.

Richard's reply was a small growl, followed by a yawn, before he began to kiss at her voluptuous hip. "Mm… good morning kitty cat... how are we today?" Raven smiled at the use of her pet name, and proceeded to stroke back his straight, jet black hair as she gazed tiredly yet lovingly into his chocolate brown eyes.

She whispered in reply, "Much better with you awake now, love…"

They had both retired from active vigilante duties after the banishment of Trigon to the Phantom zone by the Teen Titans. Raven and Richard had decided to give up their roles and live a life committed to each other; a life of peace.

"Mm… Wanna get a cup of tea in a bit?" whispered Richard, crawling up to lay on his side in front of her, grinning cockily. "I know you can't resist the herbal."

Raven rolled her eyes before letting a small smirk show. "Why, how well you know me. Let's go then, Mr. Grayson," Raven stated in a coy reply, accompanied by a playful wink. She began to sit up, but before she could, Richard rested a hand on her waist and stroked his hand up and down her side slowly, keeping her planted on the bed as she watched him now curiously.

"Actually… I think I'm a bit hungry," he growled mischievously with a wide grin. "I think I'll have my breakfast in bed…" he trailed off suggestively as he saw her blush, pulling the covers back over them once more.

* * *

After his 'breakfast' and Raven's real one, Dick Grayson sat in Bruce's study, the sunlight flowing in past the shades as the former Boy Wonder browsed through the morning papers. He casually turned the pages over until he had arrived at the section that supplied information regarding all the crimes that had occurred in the past 24 hours. Although regarding himself as a **retired** hero, he did enjoy being kept up-to-date on criminal activities; an old habit that Raven usually pestered him about.

He sighed contently, as the section seemed void of any significant violent crimes. With this, Richard recalled his childhood days under the green domino mask.

He was made to read the crime section to Bruce each morning after breakfast – Bruce's method of teaching him how to read. This was something Dick hadn't realized until recently, but Bruce had taught him a great deal of things through very subtle methods. The former Boy Wonder smiled fondly, lost in thought completely now as his mind wandered onto how Bruce trained him in the art of melee combat. In the Bat Family, Dick Grayson was the undisputed master of close range fighting.

He finally set the newspaper down and reclined in his armchair, thinking of how he and his mentor differed in their approach to crime fighting. Bruce always seemed to have a card up his sleeve, no matter how impossible the situation, no matter how dire everything seemed. His mentor never faltered, never once showed weakness – the Batman always had a plan B, and always prevailed. Dick Grayson was no Batman; he knew this, especially after having taken up the cowl himself for a period of time. He was not willing to make great personal sacrifices for the sake of the mission, and this unwillingness to completely submit himself to a life of crime fighting caused him to put his past as a vigilante behind him and focus on what he truly wanted.

He turned his head to look out of the window at his fiancé, watching as she smiled slightly to herself happily while tending to her cherry blossoms in the garden. Dick smiled as he observed his future wife, his heart skipping a beat. Seeing her happy and alive made him feel like nothing else could. His spirits always soared around her; to him she was the sun and the moon, the earth and the air. She was his very life, and he was hers. _**This**_ was what he wanted.

Dick picked up the papers again to turn the page over to the last part of the crime section. Immediately, the young man's eyes became harsh and cold as he analyzed a murder story. Another young man around his age had been brutally killed – bringing up the total to now six bodies in what the police believed to be a series of murders executed by a demon-obsessed cult member.

'_They found the same demonic symbols on him…'_ Dick thought to himself. "That's definitely odd…" he than muttered aloud, placing the paper back on the table and making his way out of the room.

* * *

Were it not for the light emanating off the screen of the Bat-Computer, Dick would've been shrouded in darkness. His eyes focused on the screen, having executed a very refined search of murders of people with features similar to his own.

He was not surprised to find that the search only returned six results. He bit his lower lip lightly as he scanned the information displayed on screen, listening suddenly when a bat screeched softly in the darkness. He responded with a low whistle and relaxed slightly in the chair, darkness consuming his figure; but it was a familiar, comfortable feeling. He was intrigued by the evidence on the screen, as all six men had a lot in common.

They all had the same physical profile, they were all trained in various methods of fighting, had served in the Bludhaven Police Force, were all engaged, the last three to be killed were all Olympic level gymnasts, and the last one had owned a share in the circus he had worked in as a child. But what struck Dick as most odd was that they all shared the same names.

"Richard," came his fiancé's beautiful whisper. He had almost not noticed her entering the cave, were it not for the bat's earlier screech.

"Yes Rae?" whispered Dick gently as he swung his chair around to smile at her softly.

Raven's face remained solemn and somewhat worried as she looked at him directly, striding to him urgently "Bruce called, he told me to–"

"To tell me that someone's trying to kill me?" he interjected.

"How did you know?" Raven muttered darkly as she folded her arms over her ample chest, her shoulders weighing down with worry.

"The world's greatest detective is my father; it's hard not to pick these things up," Dick whispered gently once more with a small smile. Raven smiled weakly at his reply and walked closer to him before she ran her hand through his jet-black hair, stroking it tenderly as the computer screen dimmed and darkness consumed the lovers.

"I thought this would all stop once we quit being heroes, Dick..."

"I thought so too, Rae..."

* * *

Raven awoke with a start, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as she sat up, her pale skin shinning in the moonlight. Her heart was racing at a mile a minute when Dick slipped out of his deep sleep, the moonlight also falling upon on him as he sat up and tended to her. The disturbed state of Raven always meant something was seriously wrong. She had not been like this since the last time her father had touched her mind…

"Rae?" whispered Dick tentatively, as he touched her shoulder softly. She looked at him in worry before whispering back quietly.

"He's here, Richard. Trigon…"

"But we imprisoned him all those years ago, Rae… How could he have possibly…?" muttered Dick as he nimbly slipped out of the bed, grabbing a wing-ding he kept in the drawer. The wing-ding blended perfectly in to the darkness as he made his way to the bedroom door.

Raven too slipped out of bed, her purple aura flowing around her hands, eyes flashing a deep purple as she followed close behind.

Richard stalked stealthily down the hallway outside their room with Raven in tow, the duos walking silently down the hall with their backs to each other. Both were ready to react to danger at a moment's notice.

"Let's move to the lawn?" whispered Richard questioningly to Raven. Her reply was a silent nod, both knowing full well that they needed to make the least amount of noise if they were to retain the upper hand.

* * *

Tim Drake smirked smugly as he effectively destroyed Conner Kent in another match of Tekken Six. It was the twelfth straight game he had won, yet Conner refused to give up.

"You cheated! You used Christie again, you know she's a cheap character," whisper-hissed Conner darkly to Tim, to which Tim replied with only a shrug as he took a glance sideways out the window. The sky outside was clear, allowing Tim to catch the silhouette of a tall hooded figure from the corner of his eye. Snapping his head quickly, he trained his eyes on the moving shape, following it as it slowly disappeared into the ground. If Tim were a normal teenager, he would've thought he was only imagining things. But Tim, the legal ward of Bruce Wayne, and another former Boy Wonder, knew better than that. Conner noticed the odd silence from his best friend and quickly averted his eyes to follow Tim's gaze.

Conner stared hard, his eyes intently focused in the direction that Tim was looking at as he slowly peeled away the layers of wood with his X-Ray vision. Unlike his mentor Superman, Conner had to focus hard to see through solid objects. But as he gazed into the grounds of Wayne Manor, he managed to catch the dark silhouette before it slipped out of view.

"Tim? You may want to get your gear on…" but Tim Drake was already placing his mask over his face. He wore an enthusiastic grin, mirrored by Conner Kent, as the pair proceeded to change into their alter egos.

* * *

_"_Richard John Grayson," came a whisper that flowed like a small stream, the voice masculine yet eerie. The former Aerial Avenger held a wing-ding at eye level, as Raven raised a hand, the purple aura emanating from it illuminating the dark cave.

From the corner of his eyes, Dick found the source of the whisper: a shadowy figure standing not twenty paces from him.

"Or should I call you _brother-in-law_?" hissed the nameless voice, the sound carrying in the cave. Dick let out a quiet breath, relaxing as he gracefully pivoted, his arm resembling the lash of a whip as it released his projectile to fly directly at the intruder. But Dick's wing-ding was beaten by his fiancé's energy blast as Raven stood confidently beside him, her hands outstretched and glowing with malevolent purple energy she'd just released.

The figure only laughed, his shoulders visibly moving up and down as he phased through Raven's blast and Richard's wing-ding. The lovers froze as the figure approached them, seemingly invincible.

Raven stood stunned, the darkness surrounding the figure melting away as it's eyes – all four of them – glowed a bright red light. Dick stood motionless, waiting for the being to speak again. He had the faintest feeling he had encountered this entity before.

"It wasn't father I felt; it was you Jared, wasn't it? You were prodding at my mind!" growled an enraged Raven, raising her hands again as her heart pounded in her chest. She sent a flurry of blasts at Jared, to which he simply walked through, allowing the aura blasts to pass straight through him like before. At the same time he merely flicked his wrist in Dick's direction before he could also attempt something, flinging him against a wall further away as he focused solely on Raven.

"Sister, come now, that isn't a way to greet your brother after all these years!" Jared called out as he threw his hood back, revealing a sickening, sadistic smile. His skin glowed slightly, as a red aura surrounded him; enveloping him completely as he reached out to his sister's mind, and the rage flowed freely from his heart into her subconscious.

Raven collapsed to her knees on the ground and tried to stay in control before her body fully crumpled down and hit the floor. She writhed in pain and anger as her half brother tormented her, filling her mind with disturbing images – with hateful thoughts. Jared continued to grin his terrible smile as his aura surged, and Raven's eye's flashed between red and purple.

Dick snapped to his senses at last and charged at the demon. As soon as he was within striking distance, he brought his lead leg up, and snapped out a front kick, the ball of his foot connecting squarely with his enemy's jaw, effectively releasing his fiancé from her torture.

Richard sank into his fighting stance, bringing his hands up, placing one in front of his chin, and the other at his cheek. "Shall we?" asked Dick, attempting to divert Jared's attention from Raven, buying her recovery time.

"Foolish mortal," growled his enemy as his hands glowed a deep red, the aura covering him completely again. Dick launched a quick right jab at his opponent's face, causing his enemy to shield his face. Just as Dick suspected: another super villain with amazing supernatural abilities, yet terrible fighting skills. Dick planned to use this to his advantage as he launched another high jab to the demon's face, causing Jared to hiss and stumble back. But the jab was a mere distraction, for as Jared, the very incarnation of Wrath stepped back, the former Aerial Avenger quickly stepped forward, lifting his leg and without chambering his kick, directed a swift, devastating front kick to his opponent's groin.

The demon sank to the ground in agony, as a flash of red and black metal shot through the darkness, and became lodged into Jared's right arm. He screamed in a truly inhuman voice, his agony unmistakable, cutting through the air the same way the small projectile did. All of a sudden, Jared burst into flames, and Dick fell back, temporarily blinded by the flames produced.

A crimson Bat-insignia blazed in the darkness, as the Future Dark Knight stepped towards the two birds, Raven finally coming back to consciousness as the footsteps grew nearer.

"Richard John 'Dick' Grayson and Rachel Arella 'Raven' Roth?" muttered the unsure voice. He was answered by the semi-conscious moans from Raven, struggling to get up, and a cold silence from Richard.

Richard slowly peeled his eyes open to gaze at the red bat-emblem, the suit completely unfamiliar to him, as he glared at the mysterious strange who just saved him and his fiancés life.

"Bruce sent me to bring you back home, Dick… he needs your help."

* * *

_End Chapter_

Alright, that's the end of chapter 1. I know, lots of stuff going on in a short amount of time, but soon all will be revealed. Any questions, please post them in your review. I love feedback! Thanks guys, it's must appreciated.

**DarkGirlRavenGrayson **&** TheNightWingX**


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